Toyota replacing Chinese workers with Japanese Robots

[InvisibleBallots]

Toyota Motor will introduce robots which can work as well or better than humans at all 12 of its factories in Japan to cut costs and deal with a looming labour shortage as the country ages, a report said on Thursday.

The robots would be able to carry out multiple tasks simultaneously with their two arms, achieving efficiency unseen in human workers and matching the cheap wages of Chinese labourers, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said.

Japan's top automaker currently uses 3 000 to 4 000 less advanced robots at its domestic factories but their use has been confined mostly to welding, painting and other potentially hazardous tasks, the economic daily said.

The new robots would also be used in finishing work, such as installation of seats and car interior fixtures, that have been too complex for conventional robots up to now, the daily said.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_1643740,00.html

[Cha]

1. After seeing, "I, Robot"..

I believe it! :D

[Placebo]

2. It's better this way.

Our cars will probably be built better, faster, and cheaper. :thumbsup:

[InvisibleBallots]

3. better for who?

As long as you have a job that can buy a car, it's great. Even better if you have enough money to build a robot factory!

[foo_bar]

7. probably better for Americans

anything that moves Chinese manufacturing into our sphere of influence benefits us in the short term. Long term, think Mecha-Godzilla.

[bpilgrim]

4. they even got robots that can RUN now! Meet ASIMO - link

see it run...
http://world.honda.com/ASIMO

brave new world, ready or not, here we are...

peace

[InvisibleBallots]

6. check out the video of him running!

http://world.honda.com/HDTV/ASIMO/200412-run/index.html

Wow - actually all of these videos are amazing.

[KlatooBNikto]

5. I hope they can sell their cars to these robots!

In the future, which is probably not more than ten years from now, only a few watchdog workers will be needed to produce in assembly lines that will move at the speed of light.Cars, planes, trains, refrigerators, TV sets, will all come pouring out of these factories for people who won't have the jobs or the money to buy them with.May be a reverse tax will be imposed so you get money from the corporations if you agree to buy their products.

Time to call Arthur Andersen for the accounting gimmicks that will be needed.There is a growth industry for you.

[foo_bar]

11. wow, you were made for this thread

This has avatar potential:

[KlatooBNikto]

12. I like it!

[Selatius]

14. But that's technology advancing

There will always be structural unemployment because of advances in technology displacing workers. It has been this way since technology began advancing. What do you propose? Halting the advance of technology? Those robots were built by people whose job it is to program computers and build machines. You would help one worker and disadvantage another?

Those workers who've been rendered obsolete will have to adapt and change and find a new sector to find a new job. As a conscientious person, I see value in making things such as health care easily accessible to all, college education cheap or universal for all, etc. to ensure that they aren't going to fall through the cracks as they attempt to change with the times.

[KlatooBNikto]

15. I was just being facetious. I agree in the new age of plenty even the idea

of work, income and leisure may become obsolete.The question really is what would we do with our time when production of goods becomes a trivial activity.May be we can entertain ourselves to death watching endless reruns of Friends, Seinfeld or whatever.Now I am getting excited!

[TheEconomist]

8. How can I train to become a robot? n/t

[KlatooBNikto]

9. That's easy.Become a Republican!

BTW: Welcome to DU!

[TheEconomist]

13. Thanks!

:-) Good response, by the way.

[KlatooBNikto]

10. Now for the next stage of the Robot Wars! Chinese Robots Vs. Japanese

Robots. Coming to an auto assembly line near you!

On Edit: Klatoo Barada Nikto!

[bpilgrim]

16. here's a prototype ---------------------------> mp4

http://news.globalfreepress.com/movs/robocop/robocop.320.240.mp4

hi-rez version...
http://news.globalfreepress.com/movs/robocop/tetra_vaal_video.mov - 16mb

other sizes...
http://news.globalfreepress.com/movs/robocop

peace

[Nobody]

17. Domo arigato mister roboto

Anybody remember the Styx concept album from 1982? This was the first thing that came to my mind.

I guess the Majority for Music Morality depicted in the album won't be far behind. Oh wait.....